Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block the Grok AI chatbot, developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, due to concerns over its potential to create sexually explicit and non-consensual images. This decision follows growing scrutiny of generative AI tools, which can produce realistic audio, images, and text. Critics argue that existing safeguards are insufficient to prevent misuse, particularly relating to sexual deepfakes.
Both countries’ regulators cited violations of human rights and safety for citizens as reasons for the ban. Indonesia’s Minister of Communications noted that non-consensual deepfakes pose severe risks to privacy and dignity, especially for women and children. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission echoed similar concerns, highlighting the tool’s repeated misuse.
Users have reported instances of Grok generating manipulated images, including explicit content featuring minors. Following these incidents, both governments took precautionary measures and stated that access to Grok will remain blocked until effective safeguards are implemented.
In the UK, the media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Grok’s compliance with safety obligations, particularly regarding potentially illegal content. The scrutiny of Grok is increasing globally, with concerns raised about its role in producing harmful imagery.
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